I enjoy judging photo contests, especially if they involve photojournalism. Yesterday, our photo staff at The Telegraph in Nashua, N.H., judged the Vermont Press Association’s annual photo contest.

Telegraph photographers Don Himsel, left, and Corey Perrine sort through entrant's clips from the Vermont Press Association photo contest.

Most of the entries came from small dailies or weekly newspapers, so the caliber of images wasn’t what we would find coming from larger daily papers. We quickly sorted through the four categories and chose our favorites, noting a few comments about each award winner.

Having very different styles of photography, the three of us looked for different aspects of each photo. I tend to look for strong composition and emotions in pictures. Good composition and lighting are a must for my picks, and emotional photographs will draw my attention to a winning image.

-Bob Hammerstrom

Tags: Association, contests, judging, nashua, photo, photography, Press, staff, the telegraph, Vermont